There are really three people to thank for this story: GaijinVamp kindly read both chapters, although all mistakes are mine. Natali K-J and I spent a very lively evening searching 'Spotify' for the Scandinavian records, and finally VicVega66 made a quite invaluable contribution to the final shape of the story with her suggestions on Eric's choices, and improvements to the dialogue
The characters of Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse belong to Charlaine Harris, and 'Desert Island Discs' was created by the late Roy Plomley for BBC Radio 4
Early October 2005
The Anubis Air Gulfstream 550 was 40,000 feet over Greenland when Eric Northman emerged from his travel coffin and made his way to the passenger cabin. It was the closest he had been to the land of his ancestors for several hundred years.
He was the last of the vampire on board to rise. His companions had already been served their Royalty blend, or were feeding from their personal blood donors. He wasn't surprised to see that Felipe de Castro, King of Nevada, had his fangs deep in the neck of a particularly lovely young flight attendant. Russell Edgington sat with his human companion, Talbot, who was making not the slightest effort to disguise the act of fellatio he was performing on the king. No one was paying them any attention.
Sophie-Anne Leclerq should have been on the flight with her fellow monarchs, but she was still recovering from the horrors of the Rhodes bombing. She had tried to attribute her non-attendance to her terrible grief at the loss of her child Andre, knowing that if word of her physical weakness were to spread it would leave her vulnerable to anyone wishing to mount a takeover of her queendom. Eric still wasn't sure why he had been included in the party in her place. He might be a big fish in the small pond that was northern Louisiana, but on the national stage he was way down the pecking order. It would have made more sense to replace Sophie Anne with another monarch, the King of central California perhaps, or the Queen of New York.
He knew why he'd accepted though; the reason was sitting towards the front of the luxury cabin, her blonde hair shining under the subdued lights. He was pleased to see that the seat next to her was vacant. She looked up from her magazine as he slid in beside her, unable to hide a brief smile, which quickly turned to a scowl. Damn him if he didn't always have that effect on her, she thought, just by being close. She hadn't asked for it and she didn't want it, she tried to convince herself, even as she felt her temperature rise a notch or two from the effect of his presence.
"Was the take-off okay?" he asked, reaching for her hand.
"Uh-huh" she said, non-committedly. She hated flying, as he well knew. The flight attendant had kept her glass topped up with champagne and she had managed to keep her fear under control. Eric could sense it though. He had the strongest urge to put an arm around her shoulder, to rest her head against his chest and let the scent of her hair soothe him. Before he could give into that temptation, a low breathy voice sounded from behind him.
"Glad you could join us, Sheriff Northman. I've brought your itinerary." Norma-Jean had been drafted in at short notice as PR coordinator for the trip. She thrust a folder unceremoniously into Eric's free hand.
He gave a snort of disgust as he read the sheet in front of him. They had three nights in London and it appeared that the whole of Monday night would be taken up with a round of media interviews. The publication titles didn't exactly sound like the quality press either: 'More', 'Heat', 'OK'.
Tuesday would include a photo-shoot for the UK edition of GQ. He noted the name of the photographer with approval; at least it would be tasteful. The next item made him groan. He was going to be a guest on a radio show; he would be interviewed about his life, and would have to choose eight records that were significant to him. That left Wednesday night as the only free time he would have before the party returned to the US.
"What's wrong?" Sookie asked as his grip on her hand tightened.
"This schedule," he snapped. "I'm expected to be interviewed and have my photograph taken." He sounded as if it was a new and foreign concept to him.
Sookie reached up to stroke his hair. He seemed genuinely put out and she couldn't resist the urge to comfort him.
"Poor baby," she laughed.
"I really don't see the humor in the situation."
"Didn't they warn you in advance?"
"No, I….." He didn't quite know how to explain himself. For the first time in many centuries he had jumped feet first into a situation without even the most basic checks. It was the kind of action that could have got him killed in earlier times. "I was only asked to join this trip at the last minute. There was not time for a full briefing." He lowered his voice and leant a little closer to her. "To be honest I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of this little jaunt really is."
"I know that," she lowered her voice to a whisper too, hoping that most of the other vampires on board were too engrossed in their various pleasures to overhear her. "Talbot gave the game away, of course. Russell tells him everything, and he's a very strong broadcaster. The kings have a secret meeting planned with a delegation from the European Union. They want to try to have the European Declaration of Human Rights extended to vampires." Sookie couldn't claim to be a student of politics, but even she knew that vampires were still having a difficult time of it in some of the southern and eastern European countries.
"They're worried about the backlash when the news gets out, so it was decided that diversions were needed. Russell and Talbot are going to be demonstrating that vampire-human relationships can be successful."
"Russell and Talbot?" Eric repeated, incredulously.
"Honestly, Eric, don't you pay any attention to the world outside Louisiana?" Sookie made no attempt to disguise how much she enjoyed getting a rise out of him. "They love their gay celebrities in the UK: Elton John, George Michael, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas." She didn't actually recognize all the names, but she'd read the PR briefing notes carefully.
"What about me?" he said, sounding just a little concerned.
"You have been included for the ladies. You're big news worldwide now you know. That footage of the rescue got onto YouTube, and the interest has just exploded. Surely Pam told you how many re-prints of the Fangtasia calendar they've had to do. Just try searching 'Mr. January' on the Internet and you'll see what I mean."
Eric snorted in disgust. Pam had, of course, taken great delight in showing him some of the 'Eric Northman' fan websites which had popped up.
"Why did you agree to come, Sookie?" he asked, keen to change the subject, "I thought after Rhodes you were done with vampire politics."
"I need the money; they're paying generously, and I've received a retainer upfront." She tried not to sound bitter about the money that Sophie-Anne still owed her. "Also I wanted to lie low for a while, there have been people sniffing around Bon Temps, Government people. If word of my, uh, disability, gets to the ears of the FBI or the CIA I really don't want to think about the consequences."
What she wouldn't admit to Eric was that the deciding factor had been the inclusion of her were tiger boyfriend Quinn as PR coordinator for the trip. He had promised to take her on to Paris afterwards so they could have some quality time together. Then at the last minute he had cried off, blaming some family crisis or other.
Eric considered her words, all the while stroking the palm of her hand. Sookie tried to ignore the waves of electricity he was sending shooting up her arm, and down to other places.
"So, what records are you going to choose for this radio show?" she asked, in an attempt to regain control of the situation.
Norma-Jean was sashaying back up the aisle as she spoke. "Nothing controversial please, Sheriff," she butted in. "A few obvious choices, some spicy anecdotes, that's all we're expecting. I've given them a list of no-go topics."
Eric nodded grimly, while Sookie tried her hardest not to stare at the woman. Meeting the vampire now known as 'Bubba' had been enough of a shock. She wondered how many other legendary figures were hiding amongst the un-dead.
"You have to have 'You're So Vain'," she said, giving Eric a playful pat on the thigh. "Or how about 'Sympathy for the Devil?'"
"No, too obvious. The Rolling Stones should be on the list though. I should choose some classical music as well, opera perhaps."
"You've never told me you like opera." Sookie sounded hurt. There was no reason he should have told her, but it brought back painful memories of how Bill had made her feel like a small-town hick when he'd taken Portia Bellefleur to see a symphony orchestra.
"I could take you one day, if you like?" Pam had told him more than once that he should take Sookie on a proper date; this was the perfect opportunity.
"I'd like that," she said, rewarding him with a smile.
It struck him then that he could perhaps turn this situation to his advantage. He needed a way to show Sookie that he was more than just the manipulative vampire politician. He wanted her to see the man behind the vampire. Perhaps his choice of records would give him the opportunity. Then there was that third night they would have together in London. He would ask Norma-Jean to order some tickets for a show for them, perhaps even the opera, provided it was something romantic.
They spent the rest of the flight suggesting and rejecting records, so engrossed that Sookie had to be reminded to buckle up her seatbelt as the plane began its descent to Heathrow. Eric put his arm around her, allowing her to press her face into his shoulder.
"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine. I'm here for you," he whispered.
Broadcasting House, London, two nights later
"I think he must have arrived." Kirsty and her producer Leanne were sitting in the office doing a final run-through of the interview questions. The high-pitched cries of a crowd of screaming women and girls penetrated through the sixth floor windows.
"It's worse than when we had George Clooney on." Leanne laughed.
"How do you think they knew we were recording tonight? We certainly didn't make it public."
"Who knows, maybe his people leaked it. You've seen the websites, he has his own fan-club now, tracking his every move."
Kirsty tried to concentrate on the questions they had sketched out, but the words seemed to dance in front of her eyes. She wasn't normally this nervous. She had interviewed the great and the good from all walks of life, from top politicians and intellectuals to pop stars and actors, and had built up something of a reputation for being able to get them to open up on air.
She couldn't understand why she was quite so apprehensive. She'd met vampires. No London party could be considered really fashionable if it didn't have at least one or two un-dead guests. She had never been alone in the same room as one though, unless you counted the weird experience when she had allowed a particularly sophisticated French vamp to kiss her hand and had come to in a dark and silent upstairs corridor.
That experience had left her a little wary. Her boss had offered a security guard to sit in with them, but it would ruin the atmosphere. Leanne would be behind the glass, but if Mr. Northman turned nasty she wouldn't stand a chance.
Gathering up her papers, she set off down to the Green Room to greet her guest. She liked to get to spend a little time together before the recording. It helped with the chemistry, she found. It took her all of five seconds after entering the room to realize that chemistry would need no help at all with this guest. She was a happily married woman, she had to remind herself, as he stretched himself lazily on the low couch, then rose to his full, impressive, height. The briefing notes had warned her not to offer physical contact, so she compensated with her most brilliant smile.
His presence was so overwhelming that it took her a moment to realize there was someone else in the room. The golden glow of the woman's skin made it clear she was no vampire. That was confirmed when she offered her hand in greeting to Kirsty.
"This is Sookie Stackhouse, she's my aide." Eric said brusquely. "She has never been in a radio studio before so I agreed that she could accompany me. I hope that is acceptable." Sookie's enthusiasm for attending the recording was the only thing that made the prospect of the forthcoming ordeal bearable. Her zest for life had been one of the things that had drawn him to her, and he couldn't help but regret how it had been dimmed by the events of the last few months.
"We don't normally have visitors, but I'm sure we could make an exception. Would you be okay sitting in the producer's booth with Leanne?" she asked, turning to Sookie, who nodded her agreement.
She did her best not to show it, but Kirsty was puzzled. The woman was dressed smartly enough in a flattering light grey tweed dress that she was sure was from Alexander McQueen's autumn collection. She didn't have that intimidating superiority of a true fashionista though; her smile and greeting were too warm and genuine. Behind her grey-blue eyes, Kirsty sensed a sharp intelligence. Eric Northman's profile hadn't mentioned a significant other, but there was definitely something between them.
She dismissed the thought; it was none of her business. She turned her attention back to her guest. "Thank you for agreeing to come on the show. You're our first ever Vampire guest you know."
"Does England not have its own celebrity vampires?"
"We do, but no-one as high profile as you," she admitted. They were mainly z-list refugees from Big Brother, and Britain's Got Talent, desperate to prolong their pathetic moment in the limelight.
Eric shrugged. "It wasn't exactly my choice," he said, coldly. He was bored with the media circus already.
Kirsty looked up at him, raising an eyebrow in a gesture of surprise, as Leanne came into the room to hurry them down to the studio.
"I spent the whole of last night answering dumb questions from even dumber interviewers," he continued, making it abundantly clear that he was expecting more of the same.
Kirsty sighed. It had been such a coup to get Eric Northman on the show. It was the only broadcast interview he was going to do in the UK – he had even turned down Jonathan Ross, which had made her very happy indeed. He obviously wasn't going to make things easy for her though.
They reached the studio and settled themselves down.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
The red recording light came on.
Putting on her best radio voice, with just a hint of a soft Scottish burr, Kirsty began the familiar introduction to the show.
"My castaway this week is Eric Northman. It's been over five years since vampires announced their presence amongst humans, but the interest in their lives and loves hasn't diminished. If anything it has grown stronger. In the last year my guest has become one of the most recognizable vampires in the United States. The tragic events in Rhodes last month brought him international attention. Now a businessman in Louisiana, in his human life he was a Viking in tenth century Sweden."
"So, Eric Northman, I have to ask what it's like to be the centre of so much attention after centuries of secrecy?"
"Well you know it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it." He gave a self-depreciating laugh.
Kirsty glanced up at Leanne who was rolling her eyes. He was definitely trying to make this hard work. Eric on the other hand was delighted to have discomfited her so early in the show.
"Seriously, I still find it quite strange." He continued, changing his tone to appear more modest. "I'm just a small business owner from a small city in Louisiana. I never set out to be a celebrity, and it seems odd that people are interested in me and my life."
It was Kirsty's turn to smirk. Now she had met him in the flesh, she understood the interest only too well.
"So would you enjoy the peace of a desert island?"
"I wouldn't miss the attention, or the politics, but I'd miss the people close to me." He kept his gaze firmly fixed on his interviewer, although his thoughts were elsewhere in the room.
"As you know, we let you take eight records with you, as well as a book and a luxury item. I think some people will be surprised at your first choice of record."
Eric paused briefly before replying. Sookie had been joking when she suggested including the record on his list. She'd teased him with an off-key rendition of the lyrics:
'I can't believe that you kiss your car goodnight
Come on baby tell me, you must be joking, right?'
It was ridiculous. He hated this kind of music, but recently whenever he heard it he felt the strangest sensation of contentment. A memory of a time he couldn't actually remember. He wasn't going to admit to any of this on air of course. He had come up with a much more prosaic explanation.
"Yes, I've chosen Shania Twain. This kind of music is very popular where I live now; you hear it all the time playing in bars and on the radio. I don't expect to be homesick on the island, I've lived too long and travelled too far for that, but if I were, this record would certainly transport me instantly to Shreveport."
"So do you feel you've found a place to call home?"
"I hope so, at least for a while." As Leanne cued in the song, his eyes darted briefly to the producer's booth, where Sookie was singing along.
"That don't impress me much," she mouthed, wagging a finger at him in mock admonishment.
"Your second choice is quite a contrast." Kirsty said hurriedly; keen to move the conversation on.
"Yes, this is a very old memory from my human life. Modern musicians have recreated the music, but it is a remarkably accurate rendition of an old song. It is called 'Du ar sa vacker for mina ogon', which translates as 'You are beautiful in my eyes'. I like to listen to it while I bathe as it helps me relax; it's really quite beautiful if you know old Swedish."
Kirsty noticed once again that brief glance towards the booth, almost too quick for a human to register. She was aware of an undercurrent. If she hadn't known better she would have been sure he was playing with her, as a cat would with a mouse.
A click on the computer and the song began. The silence in the studio was complete as the haunting tones of the singer filled the room. Eric was perfectly still and, for the first time, Kirsty was aware that he was not breathing.
Sookie was thoughtful as she watched him. He hadn't translated the title when he'd chosen the song. It was a sweet gesture, she thought, and quite unexpected. She couldn't help but feel just a little warmer towards him.
Eric snapped back to attention as the record faded out, and Kirsty moved onto the next question.
"Do you think about your human life often?"
"No, very rarely actually. I've learnt to live in the present. I found out the hard way that there is no point in dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future so I stay firmly in the here and now."
"But you do remember your Viking life. You've spoken about it in interviews."
"I remember everything about my human life and my vampire existence. I've accepted the inevitability of people's interest, especially in Sweden of course. I am proud of my ancestry, and it's important to me that people get a fuller picture of what our lives were like. There have been so many myths. Not to mention bad movies," he gave a derisive snort.
"So is music important to you?"
"I hadn't really thought about it before I was invited to come on this show," he said, truthfully. "Amongst my businesses I run a nightclub so I am surrounded by music, some good and some bad. I need to keep in touch with what my customers are listening to. I have a selection on my iPod of course, and I do like to listen to music while I'm driving."
Kirsty exchanged a glance with Leanne. Sookie smiled, she could see the image they both had in their minds, of Eric driving along the interstate in a sports car with the hood down, his long blond hair flowing in the wind. Perhaps she should reveal his weakness for singing along to nineteen-eighties power ballads. That would bring him down a notch or two in the 'Mr. Cool' stakes.
"Was it hard to narrow down your choice to eight records?"
"Some just chose themselves. Selecting artists from the twentieth century was the most difficult. Before then, most people didn't really hear a great variety of music. Until it could be recorded and preserved you were limited to hearing songs sung and played in the home, or attending concerts if you were well to do. Now of course there are thousands of songs and singers to choose from."
"Your next selection is from Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. Tell us about that."
"I think that of all the eras I have lived through, the European courts of the eighteenth century were the most memorable. People talk nowadays about the super-rich and conspicuous consumption now, but there is no one alive today who could compare with Louis XIV of France."
"The Sun King," Kirsty interjected by way of explanation.
"Yes. I spent several years at his court. I used to move between England, France, Spain, and Italy during those years. I couldn't stay in any one place too long, a few years at most before people would start to ask questions. There were many Swedish mercenaries in Europe at that time, and our fighting skills were greatly prized, so I would just return with a new identity once most of the people who might remember me were dead. It did help that life expectancies were so much shorter."
"People imagine that vampires spent centuries living in hiding, in dark caves, but it wasn't like that."
"No, as I've said, you shouldn't believe everything you see in the movies," Eric laughed. "You had to exercise caution of course. Some of our kind who were careless found themselves accused of witchcraft. Anything that got you thrown into jail was an instant death sentence. If you were careful though, there were plenty of jobs you could take which only required you to come out at night. I was a warder in your Tower of London for five years, working the torture chamber." He grinned, and all three women shuddered. It didn't take much to imagine him enjoying his work.
"So is the choice of Don Giovanni a reflection of your reputation as a womanizer?"
"You have quite misunderstood the meaning of the Opera," he said coldly. "It is about revenge and deception; it acts as a warning, not an encouragement."
"I have to tell you, he is now the picture of innocence," Kirsty joked, trying to retrieve the situation with a direct address to the listeners. She could see Sookie and Leanne giggling in the producer's booth.
Her attention reverted to her guest. "I agree, there is a darkness in Mozart's work; a sense of foreboding. Do you think that is part of his greatness?"
Eric was thoughtful for a moment. It was a question he hadn't anticipated, and hadn't prepared for, but he quickly recovered himself. "It is a reflection of the times. On the one hand you still had the rich and powerful courts where people believed they were the masters of the universe, to use a modern phrase. On the other, it was impossible to ignore the signs of the coming upheaval if you paid attention to the wider world. I think he reflects that in his music."
"Did you ever meet him?"
"Yes, once, at the court of the Emperor Joseph II of Austria."
"You must have been aware, even then, of his enduring genius. Was there not a temptation to turn him and preserve it?" Kirsty asked, hoping she had the terminology correct.
"Who says we didn't," Eric shot back. "It is not always a good idea though; having to keep yourself hidden, and not being able to use your talents, can lead to madness." He thought of poor, brain-addled Bubba, shunted from place to place like an unwanted parcel.
"You must have known so many people who now have legendary status. There are many rumors circulating on the Internet about the women you have had affairs with: Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Mary Queen of Scots?"
Eric was ready for this. Norma-Jean's preparation had been nothing if not thorough, and she had checked out every website where he might be mentioned. They had agreed on a topic which would generate some headlines, but avoid any diplomatic incidents.
"I did know your Queen Elizabeth the First. She was a very special woman." He gave Sookie a dazzling smile, pleased he had warned her that this would come up. He didn't want his words to make her feel insecure, that wouldn't serve his purpose at all. The look on Kirsty's face made it clear that he would have to say more though.
"I know what an icon she is to the British."
"English." Kirsty corrected him. As a Scot she couldn't let that one pass.
"Sorry, to the English. I've rarely met a braver woman, or a more arrogant one. I offered to turn her you know, but she refused. I'm sure she was tempted, but she was too vain. She couldn't face eternity with the face and body of a forty-year old."
That wasn't strictly true. He had most unpleasant memories of her forcing him to pleasure her pox-ridden, balding form, on pain of final death.
Leanne was looking meaningfully at the studio clock, forcing Kirsty to move on to the question. "Tell us about your next choice."
"One of the positive things about being alone on the island would be that I could play anything I liked, loudly, with no-one complaining about it. So I think I will have some Wagner. I know he is unfashionable nowadays, but 'The Ring' Cycle is perfect for me. This selection is from the Prologue to the final part of the cycle: the Gotterdammerung. It is the love scene between Siegfried and Brunhilde. I don't think people realize that undying love is one of the great themes of this opera."
He had tried to convince Pam of that once, forcing her to watch a live performance that he had taped. She had laughed so hard that by the beginning of Act Two she had fallen off the sofa. "My God," she had giggled, "fat opera singers with horned hats bellowing about doomed love for three hours, I'm not surprised they killed themselves."
After that reaction he had never shared his passion with another soul.
"Your next choice is Johnny Cash singing 'Hurt' from the 'American' series of recordings. Is this a song that has personal meaning for you?"
"The 'American' series is a fine set of recordings, but I think of all of them, this song is the most moving. I do understand the nature of obsession. When you're caught in its grip you just have to pursue your chosen course of action, without a care for the consequences."
He stopped abruptly, the set of his face making it clear that he had no intention continuing down that train of thought. Leanne cued in the track, and the gravelly voice of an old man approaching death filled the studio: 'Everyone I know goes away in the end. You can have it all, my empire of dirt, I will let you down, I will leave you hurt.'
Eric watched Sookie carefully, trying to gauge her reaction. If he ever succeeded in persuading her to take him as her lover again, he knew it would bring her danger. He would do everything he could to protect her, but there was always the risk that she would be hurt by her exposure to supernatural politics. He had to be honest with her if he was to win her trust.
She had no hope of even beginning to get underneath the surface of this guest, Kirsty reflected as the song faded. She could have interviewed him for a whole day and still not get through all the topics she wanted to cover.
"There are just so many things I would love to ask you about, but we have to move on to your next record. You've chosen The Rolling Stones."
"Yes, I was in New York in 1964. I saw them at Carnegie Hall on their first US tour. I knew straight away they were going to be something special, even though at that time they still had few songs of their own and still relied on cover versions."
"You hung out with them?" Kirsty asked, unable to keep the awe-struck tone out of her voice. If only she could get him to open up, there must be such stories to tell.
Eric's response was characteristically cool. "I spent some time with them yes," he said, blandly. "They were good company and interesting people."
"That's rather an understatement!"
He smiled but refused to pursue the topic. The first chords of 'Let it Bleed' brought back clear memories. He was sitting with Keith one night as he strummed idly on his guitar. "I could make you vampire if you want, it would suit you," he had offered.
Keith had fixed him with his peculiar, wild-eyed start and waved his nicotine stained fingers vaguely in his direction. "I'm already a vampire, man," he'd drawled. "The only difference between you and me is that I can walk in daylight." He'd taken a slug of vodka, direct from the bottle, waving it at Eric in an ironic salute. "Besides, I get to drink the real nectar of life!"
"For your seventh record, you've chosen Louis Armstrong, is he someone you admired?"
"He sums up the spirit of New Orleans. The city has always been a special place for me. It was where I lived when I first arrived in the US. I chose this in memory of those of our kind, and the humans, who died in Hurricane Katrina." He hated political correctness, but Norma-Jean had insisted on some reference to the tragedy which still dominated life in Louisiana.
He noticed Sookie turning just a little pink as the music started. They had agreed that Louis Armstrong would be a good choice, but he hadn't let on to her what the song was going to be.
'Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'
Birds singing in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me'
"You've said that you don't think a lot about the past, but your choices have been quite reflective, do you think there is a contradiction there?"
"I've said I don't dwell on the past, that doesn't mean I don't think about it. I have a lot of good memories. I've been very lucky with the places I've been and the people I've met. I wouldn't want to forget any of them. Besides, I'm not always serious. I think people who know me well would say I had a sense of humor." He looked to Sookie for affirmation, and was rewarded with a broad grin.
'He does,' she mouthed through the glass which separated the producer's booth from the studio.
"Would you say your final choice is evidence of your less serious side?"
"My last choice is completely selfish. It's the kind of record I would never inflict on anyone else, even on a bad day. For me though, it recreates the essence of Viking, especially if you watch the video that goes with it. I know my people had a bad reputation, and some of it was deserved, but we really knew how to party. There just aren't many people nowadays who can drink like a Viking. It's actually a Finnish band called Finntroll. The song is called Trollhammeren. I suggest your listeners watch the video on YouTube if they want to get the idea."
"So we now come to the point when I give you the Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare to take, but you can have one other book of your choice."
"Well firstly I should say that I'm not a Christian, so I would rather have a book of Norse mythology, if that is acceptable to you?"
He would actually have preferred a subscription to the 'Wall Street Journal', and a Blackberry, so he could run his businesses remotely, but Norma-Jean had insisted that he pick something romantic and interesting.
"In addition I would take 'The Prince' by Machiavelli. It was recommended to me by ….well I should probably not say who by, but I was advised that I need to improve my political skills. I will reflect on that while I'm on the island."
"And one luxury item, which you're not allowed to use to escape or to communicate with the outside world."
"I was going to ask for a blood donor, but that's a necessity really," he smirked.
Kirsty glared meaningfully at Leanne. They would definitely be cutting that comment out.
"We will provide you with a light-tight cave and TrueBlood on tap," she countered, sternly.
Eric winced at the thought of the TrueBlood, how he hated that stuff.
"I think then an endless supply of luxury silk boxer shorts. I shall want to be comfortable after all."
Surely with his reputation he would just go naked, Kirsty thought. She didn't say anything, as that would certainly have to be cut, but was puzzled to see Sookie clap a hand over her mouth in a gesture of surprise.
"If I were to force you to pick just one disc, if the waves were to wash away your collection, which one would you rush to save?"
"I think the Mozart. It has so much depth and complexity. It is a warning against the danger of arrogance." He looked up and gave Sookie a wink.
Leanne was making the signal to wrap up.
"Eric Northman, thank you very much for letting us hear your desert island discs."
The familiar elegiac sound of the theme music echoed around the studio as the continuity announcer read out the credits.
"Desert Island Discs was created by Roy Plomley, the Producer was Leanne Buckle.
Desert Island Discs is available on the BBC i-Player and is also available as a podcast. For more information go to our website…"
Sookie came bouncing through into the studio. "You were great," she beamed, reaching up to plant a kiss on his cheek. He slipped his arms around her and turned her to kiss her on the mouth.
"It's such a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms Young." Sookie said, wriggling out of Eric's embrace. "Great questions – I thought you had him squirming once or twice."
"He wasn't the easiest of guests, but I think we got there in the end," there was a grim satisfaction in her tone as she headed to the producer's booth to review the recording.
"If I've managed to satisfy you, the Scotswoman, and Norma-Jean Baker, I most certainly count that as a triumph." Eric sounded particularly smug, earning himself a slap from Sookie. He grimaced in mock disgust, before reaching down to stroke her cheek in a tender gesture.
"I wanted to take you as my luxury, but they wouldn't let me," Eric said, his voice gentle. "Would you come, if I asked you?"
Sookie focused on the eagle claw pendant he was wearing, not wanting to meet his eyes. The request would have sounded casual to an observer, but she knew him well enough to know that it was not. A hundred thoughts crowded into her brain, all fighting for space. Quinn, her official boyfriend, who she hadn't seen for over a month; Eric, who she had almost fallen in love with when he lost his memory; Eric who had bonded with her in Rhodes to save her from Andre; Eric who made grand gestures, then virtually ignored her for weeks on end.
Preparing for this show, and helping style him for the photo-shoot had brought back powerful memories of the Eric who had stayed with her, who had acted almost human. For the first time since then she had felt that perhaps, if she was with him, they could be like a normal couple. Okay, as normal as you could be when your boyfriend was now an international celebrity, but she could cope with that. What mattered to her was that he had truly shared his thoughts and feelings with her.
The Scotswoman may not have succeeded in getting beneath the surface veneer of the badass Sheriff, but she had made some cracks. Much against her better judgment, Sookie found herself just itching to dig into them and open them up.
"I'll consider it. Just as long as you don't make me listen to Finntroll."
"That works for me. If you promise no Shania Twain, I promise no Finntroll."
Eric's selection for the programme:
1 Shania Twain: "That don't impress me much" (Twain/Lange)
From the album 'Come on Over' Mercury 1997
2 Du ar sa vacker for mina ogon' (trad) vocalist Violina Juliusdotter
From the CD 'Andor' Per O G Runberg, AD Inexplorata 2001
3 'Don Giovanni, A Cenar Teco' (Mozart, Don Giovanni Act two scene five)
EMI classics (1959, digitally remastered 1997) Conductor Carlo Maria Guilini.
4 'Zu Neuen Taten, teurer Helde' (Richard Wagner, Gotterdammerung, Prologue)
Decca (1997) Conductor, Sir Georg Solti
5 Johnny Cash: 'Hurt' (Trent Reznor)
From the Album ' American IV: The Man Comes Around' Lost Highway 2002
6 Rolling Stones: ' Let It Bleed' (Jagger, Richards)
From the Album 'Let it Bleed' Abcko 1969
7 Louis Armstrong and the Allstars 'Dream a Little Dream of Me" (Andre/Schwandt and Kahn)
The Ultimate Collection, Polygram 2000
8 Finntroll: 'Trollhammaren' (Tundra/Trollhorn, Wilska)
From the CD 'Nattfodd' Century Media 2004.
http(colon double forward slash)www(dot)youtube(dot)com(forward slash)watch?v=yGywo81G6lk
.com/watch?v=yGywo81G6lk
Book: 'The Prince' Machiavelli. Bantam Classics 1984
Luxury: Zimmerli Silk Boxer Shorts
This chapter was originally written as a one-shot for the "I Write the Songs" contest in October 2010. Northman Maille, Northwoman and the seven judges did an amazing job running the contest and dealing with 51 excellent entries so many thanks to them for their efforts.